Have you ever looked at your closet and realized you need an update? Your clothes aren’t reflecting what you want to represent about yourself anymore. Well, we’re doing the college marketing version of that. We’ve looked at ourselves and realized that the value we have to our stakeholders doesn’t match the image we’re projecting—so we are changing our look.

It’s not just a matter of chucking the tree and the moraine of our long-time logo and whipping up a new one. Not even close. The process requires research and dialogue about our values in the community. We partnered with our agency of record, Element, to help us “see the forest through the trees.” Element spent weeks interviewing, shadowing, researching and listening. Their research summary includes sentiments like, “that friendly face you know will provide the personal attention” and “They put your needs first.”

While the major brand and messaging work continues toward an August unveiling, this week marked a milestone, as we revealed the new Moraine Park Technical College logo that will carry our heritage forward. In developing the logo, Element worked with our creative team, but we also involved MPTC second year graphic communications students in the first several concept rounds to ensure the design resonates with the people who matter most. Their feedback confirmed our direction and provided a unique behind-the-scenes experience they will take into their careers.

After no fewer than 148 renditions (whew!), the resulting logo reflects MPTC’s roots and environment through color, while portraying a vibrant, energetic and modern educational facility committed to student success. The color selection—which is intended to be on trend without being trendy—also supports a diverse complimentary color palette.